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COC 8 Top Social Media Platforms

With an estimated 5.17 billion users worldwide and an average growth rate of 8.9 new users every second, social media presents an unprecedented potential audience for marketing products and services. In the US, social media users check an average of 7 accounts each month, signifying that a multi-platform marketing strategy would be the most advantageous approach. But which outlet to focus your efforts on depends on a number of factors. To help you better understand your options, we’ve broken down the 8 top social media platforms here in the US including analytics on its users as well as helpful rankings for harnessing their marketing energy. 

Facebook 2024 statistics

#1 FACEBOOK

Globally and domestically, Facebook remains the champion of social media platforms amongst both consumers and marketers with 3 in every 4 Americans accessing their account every month. Despite being viewed as having only “older” users, Facebook remains most popular in the 18-44 age range. However, with less than five percent in the under 18 age category and a continued decline in teen users over the past year, Facebook isn’t ideal for marketing to a younger audience. Nevertheless, over two thirds of Facebook users are viewing daily, making it a hot spot for activity. Facebook social posts, stories and reels can be used to increase brand awareness, gain followers, generate leads and sell products or services as well as to promote targeted ad campaigns.

YouTube 2024 statistics

#2 YOUTUBE

YouTube stands alone as the world’s top streaming social media platform for showcasing video content. It continually ranks most preferred for viewing live content and has the 2nd highest active monthly users and average time spent per day by those users. Though mostly used for entertainment, savvy marketers will incorporate YouTube into their strategy by utilizing it to showcase unique features of products or services or to promote brand awareness by explaining complex industry-related topics. Sponsorships with influencers on YouTube can also build recognition. 

Instagram 2024 statistics

#3 INSTAGRAM

Instagram leads the pack as the preferred platform for younger demographics with more than ⅔ of its user base consisting of 18-34-year-olds. Launched in 2010 as a competitor to Facebook, it has evolved from an image sharing platform with unique photo editing tools into a multi-dimensional social community. Today, both users and brands can engage with one another through the use of posts, stories, reels, live streams, shops and more. Over 70% of shoppers claim to use Instagram for inspiration or to find new products, which makes it a savvy investment for any businesses who rely on visuals to sell their products or services.

TikTok 2024 statistics

#4 TIKTOK

With over 68% of its audience in the 18-34 age range, TikTok figured out how to use musical, short-form videos to captivate younger users. In addition to being the highest grossing app of 2023, users spend more time on average per day on this platform than any other. Primarily due to the impulsivity of its consumer base, TikTok boasts a high conversion rate with over 71% of its shop users buying an item they saw in their feed. As a newer media platform, it has much to prove in terms of longevity, but if your target demographic lies in the teen-24 age range, your business should be harnessing the influencing power of TikTok.

LinkedIn 2024 statistics

#5 LINKEDIN

LinkedIn exists primarily as a business to business networking platform. Not only can businesses share leads and expertise about their industry with cooperative entities, headhunters use it to identify and recruit for job openings. Younger professionals ages 25-34 make up 50.6% of its users with a small skew in favor of males. Expectedly, 53% of LinkedIn users come from high-income households ($75k+) with more than half possessing at least a Bachelor’s Degree. If your target audience tends to include educated demographics with deeper pockets, or if your products and services depend on business to business sales, this platform offers a highly specialized user base you don’t want to overlook.

Pinterest 2024 statistics

#6 PINTEREST

Marketed as a “visual discovery engine,” Pinterest earns credit as the most successful trend-predicting platform available. Its overwhelmingly female users utilize it to find inspiration on projects, products and style with over 80% discovering a new brand or product and 85% making a purchase from pins. With 1 in 3 of its user households earning over $100k, its audience offers powerful buying potential. In addition to promoting their products and services on this powerful platform, businesses should take advantage of Pinterest’s 80% success rate over the past 4 years in forecasting shifts in styles and consumer demands.

Snapchat 2024 statistics

#7 SNAPCHAT

Snapchat was born out of a desire to share candid or sometimes private images with one another without them being permanent and coming back to haunt their users. No wonder this concept of setting expirations on images and posts appeals to so many high school and college age students! In addition to having the fastest growing user base, Snapchat provides a prime opportunity for businesses to identify trends with younger consumers. Snapchat also offers creative editing tools that encourage sharing and experimentation, which make it especially powerful from a business marketing standpoint.

X 2024 statistics

#8 X (formerly Twitter)

Although it took a hit in 2023 during its transition of ownership, X (formerly known as Twitter) continues to be the #1 platform for discoverability. This means that more brand awareness campaigns find success on X than any other media platform. The fact that 53% of its overwhelmingly male audience uses it regularly for news makes it a trusted resource. Businesses can use this platform to connect with their client base through short, valuable “tweets” or messages combined with images, videos and links, but the best times to post are during the workday week.

SUMMARY

In summation, a successful marketing strategy should include a thorough understanding not only of your audience but the available tools to reach them. Social media provides such enormous potential for targeting specific consumer demographics that it cannot and should not be overlooked. In addition, a multi-platform approach would expand your ability to reach these users, establish expertise or influence, and research what consumers want. Ready to get started or finetune your approach to the social media marketing arena? CupOCode would love to help! Give us a call at (570) 678-1919.

SOURCES + CREDITS:
https://datareportal.com/social-media-users
https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/social-media-statistics/
https://sproutsocial.com/insights/new-social-media-demographics
https://www.oberlo.com/statistics/youtube-age-demographics
https://www.statista.com/statistics/248769/age-distribution-of-worldwide-instagram-users
https://www.oberlo.com/statistics/tiktok-age-demographics
https://www.similarweb.com/website/linkedin.com/#overview
https://www.statista.com/statistics/273505/global-linkedin-age-group
https://www.oberlo.com/statistics/pinterest-age-demographics
https://www.oberlo.com/statistics/which-age-group-uses-snapchat-the-most
https://www.statista.com/statistics/283119/age-distribution-of-global-twitter-users/

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